Rock and a Hard Place

The Grove #2

by Stephen J. Martin

'What is a chance at your dream worth?' Being a rock star was all Jimmy ever wanted, but it was supposed to happen when he was seventeen, not in his thirties. Jimmy had spent the best part of twenty years building a career. He studied, he got a great job and he had worked hard at it. He was being groomed for stardom all right, but his stage was to be in a boardroom, not a beer-soaked and panty-strewn concert hall. Now it's coming to the crunch. While the band are wondering why his phone keeps ringing at rehearsals, his boss in work is wondering why he keeps coming into the office with bags under his eyes. Jimmy is starting to crack under the pressure. He's even started to call round to his Mam for chats in the evenings. The doctor is telling him to take a holiday - Greece, maybe? - but his boss and his manager have other ideas. Jimmy's going away all right, but he's going a lot further than Greece ...

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Stephen J Martin is an Irish writer of contemporary comic fiction.

Martin grew up in Raheny, Dublin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from Dublin City University. Having spent several years working in IT in the Far East, he became a full-time writer in 2002.

Having graduated from college with a degree in Electronic Engineering, Stephen J Martin worked in Japan for eight years [1]. During this time he became involved in a local amateur theatre group, The Hiberian Players. He directed plays by Joseph O'Connor and Sean O'Casey and acted in Roddy Doyle's Brownbread and Dermot Bolger's one-man play, In High Germany. Also during this time, he was the singer in a local Tokyo-based rock band, Yer Mot's a Dog, touring extensively throughout Asia with the band.

Martin cites these literary and musical influences when asked about his decision to take up writing despite having had no formal background in the Arts. The Superchick trilogy largely draws on his experiences as the singer in a band and is a comic look at the behind-the-scenes challenges of touring and performing [2].

He is a fluent Irish-speaker and regularly appears on Irish-language radio and TV programs.

Stephen J Martin is married and currently lives with his wife in Hong Kong.

Reviews

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book i've ever read. ive never laughed so much.

[Tyrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and relatable - choosing between head and heart isn't easy - the giant leap to living your passion is worth it though...Finally got around to finishing this book off.... 📖

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as funny as Superchick. Spent too much time focused on work and didn't appreciate the humor that was just based on Aesop not understanding Japanese culture.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as laugh out loud histerical as Super Chick. I didn't take to the guys' cultural illiteracy. But it feels more like a bridge book anyway, in order to get to Rock On.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good Irish humour based around a band and their adventures! Light read with lots of laughs. Enjoy.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good light read, can be very funny.